You need one mini split zone per room of your home.
Large zones, like an open living area, should have at least two indoor units to ensure proper heating and cooling.
How Many Zones Do I Need for a Mini Split?
The two most important factors in deciding the right number of mini split zones are:
- House size in square feet
- The layout of your home – whether it is open or the rooms tend to be closed off by walls and doors
For example:
How many zones for 1000 square feet?
Open floor plan: You should install a 1-3 multi zone system, 2 or 3 zones would be best, with indoor units strategically located in the space, so that you get good air flow and circulation throughout the area.
Not an open floor plan: Consider installing 1 or 2 indoor units in the main living area and 1 each in bedrooms and other closed-off areas like a den, office or kitchen. So, consider a 4-6 multi zone system in a 2-bedroom or 3-bedroom home with one floor or two floors (like a bungalow).
Most indoor units will not serve multiple rooms unless they flow into one another with large openings. When the rooms are closed off by walls and a door, then you will need ductless indoor units for every bedroom, for example, and other secluded rooms.
How Many Mini Splits Do I Need
| House Size | How many mini splits do I need |
|---|---|
| 700 sq ft | 1 - 3 zone |
| 800 sq ft | 1 - 3 zone |
| 900 sq ft | 2 - 3 zone |
| 960 sq ft | 2 - 3 zone |
| 1,100 sq ft | 3 - 4 zone |
| 1,200 sq ft | 3 - 4 zone |
| 1,300 sq ft | 3 - 4 zone |
| 1,500 sq ft | 4 - 5 zone |
| 1,700 sq ft | 4 - 6 zone |
| 2,000 sq ft | 4 - 6 zone |
| 5,000 sq ft | 6 - 8 zone |
Answer: 4-5 zones. Find 1,500 in the House Size column. Scan across to the How many mini splits do I need column, and you’ll see the pro recommendation of 4-5 zones.How many mini splits do I need for 1500 sq ft?
Whether you need 4 or should install 5 depends on the home’s layout – an indoor unit for every bedroom, plus one for the living room, kitchen and any closed off rooms like an office or den.
Here are a few related questions, and there are FAQs at the end of this article.
Can one mini split cool multiple rooms?
Yes, but only if the total square feet isn’t too great and the floor plan is open, so air easily flows between the rooms. If the rooms are closed off, such as a bedroom, a formal dining room or a home office, then you will need one indoor unit for each room.
How many zones can a mini split have?
Another way to ask the question is – How many mini splits per condenser?
Most outdoor units are designed for 1-5 zones. But the largest ductless units can include 8 or 9 zones depending on the brand.
How many outdoor units do I need?
Outdoor units are designed to serve from about 350 square feet for the smallest 6,000 to 9,000 BTU heat pumps to about 2,000 to 3,000 square feet for large 48,000 to 60,000 BTU units.
Many homes need just one outdoor unit. Homes larger than 2,000 or 2,500 square feet often require two or more.
Number of Zones by Square Feet and Layout
This House Size Mini Split Zones chart gives you a range of zones for single and multi zone installation.
Note that there’s a range, which takes into account the layout of the home. See examples below for more information.
1 – 8 Zone Mini Split House Size
| Zone | House Size |
|---|---|
| 1 Zone (Single Zone) | 500 - 1,000 sq ft |
| 2 Zone (Dual Zone) | 1,000 - 1,500 sq ft |
| 3 Zone (Triple Zone) | 1,200 - 1,800 sq ft |
| 4 Zone (Quad Zone | 1,500 - 2,500 sq ft |
| 5 Zone | 1,800 - 2,800 sq ft |
| 6 Zone | 2,500 - 3,000 sq ft |
| 7 Zone | 2,800 - 3,500 sq ft |
| 8 Zone | 3,500 - 5,000 sq ft |
Answer: Quad ductless units – a four zone system – will usually serve 1,500 to 2,500 square feet based on the layout of the house, how large the condensing unit is and how large each indoor unit is.What’s the house size for a 4 zone system?
Mini Split BTU Calculator
Sizing your mini split system is important if you want to optimize indoor comfort.
Only a system of the right size will be adequate for comfortable heating and cooling plus getting rid of excess humidity in warm, muggy months of the year.
The Pick HVAC Mini Split BTU Calculator gives you precise information about the size of the system you need for your home.
Answer a few simple questions about your climate and home, and the calculator automatically generates your answer to the question – what size ductless heat pump do I need?
FAQs
Let’s conclude our guide to choosing the number of mini split zones needed with common questions and their answers.
How many zones can a mini split have? How many mini splits per condenser?
These questions ask the same thing – how many indoor units can a mini split have?
The answer is 1-9. The most common systems have a single zone.
Most larger systems are 2-5 zone mini splits. The biggest, in the 48,000 to 60,000 BTU range, serve up to 8 or 9 depending on the brand.
Do you need a mini split in every room? Can one mini split cool multiple rooms? How many rooms can a mini split cool?
Three questions asking for the same information!
And as we discussed above, the answer depends on the floor plan.
Here are two common scenarios.
- Closed floor plan – Rooms are sectioned off with walls and doors: In most cases, you need a mini split indoor unit in each room. So, a mini split can cool one room. When the opening between two rooms or zones is just a doorway, with walls sectioning off the rooms, you won’t get enough airflow between rooms. The room with the indoor unit might get “too much” heating and cooling, depending on the season, and the other room wouldn’t get enough.
- Open floor plan – Rooms flow into each other with little wall space and no door dividing them: Homes built in the last few decades mostly have open floor plans.
In such homes, a large indoor unit can serve more than one space or room.
However, it is still important to choose the right locations for the indoor units to optimize the flow of heating and cooling throughout the entire home.
That’s why we recommend working with a local heating and cooling company to design a system to give you the most comfortable indoor climate.
Do I need a mini split in the bathroom?
While you don’t need one according to building codes, you might like to have one, especially in a large bathroom.
Does the bathroom get very humid in summer and the shower is running? Air conditioning in the bathroom will remove the humidity (you should have a ventilation fan too), so the room will be comfortable and conditions for mold growth will be eliminated.
Is the bathroom chilly in winter? Then yes, you’ll be glad you have heat in the room, so a mini split indoor unit is a good idea in the bathroom.
